updated 02:25 pm EST, Wed November 24, 2010

Caltech makes headway in quantum HD tech

The California Institute of Technology believes it found a way to simultaneously transfer entire blocks of quantum information. It showed a proof-of-concept that can be applied in future quantum hard drives, and the team believes those products could compete with traditional, optical-based memory storage devices that use entanglement for access. The demonstration had the team transfer the state of four quantum memories to an optical signal and back again.

The team said the concept could be applied to more parallel transfers in future quantum drivess, with the number being virtually unlimited. The concept is based on electromagnetic transparency that absorbs four quantum channels and slows down the light to zero for storage.

Lasers were used to cool the four quantum memories, each made up of one million cesium atoms that are magnetically separated by one millimeter. The technique was first achieved by Caltech five years ago, but was limited to two ensembles. The Institute has now applied it theoretically to unlimited nodes and made a computer possible.

For the next step, Caltech researches want to apply the dynamics of entanglement decay to entangled spin waves in quantum magnetic memories. Also on deck is to expand so-called quantum metrology that would see the generation, storage and transfer or quantum states using measurements of fragile states of quantum memories.

Funding for the research came from the National Science Foundation, the Defense Department and Northrop Grumman, although others also contributed. [viaEETimes]